It is well know that ball joints and systems employing them are used in front wheel suspension of automotive vehicles. The ball joint lends flexibility for steering the wheels while accommodating changes in angles between the wheel and the suspension members. In conventional ball joints, a pin or shaft on which the wheel is mounted carries a ball, which is rigid with the shaft, the ball being housed in a housing wherein the ball is seated and retained. During both rotation and pivoting of the elongated shaft, the surface of the ball slides over a lining of the housing.
Typically, prior art ball joints are all constructed such that they have an open space or void at the top of the ball, wherein there is typically placed a means for asserting pressure on the top of the ball to accommodate any wear on the ball. Such means are, for example, springs under tension, which are placed on the top of the ball and retained by some kind of insert over the top of the ball. Also known by the inventors herein are ball joints in which the pressure is provided by compressible nylon particles that are situated in the open space and impinge on and essentially surround the exposed top surface of the ball.
All such ball joints require lubrication, and some means is provided to allow for the lubricant to be injected into the housing and onto and around the ball of the ball joint. Further, the ball per se often contains shallow, usually disconnected, channels in which the lubricant can take up residence. These channels help a situation that can occur in the ball joint in which the lubricant, contained within the housing, can block off all air into the housing and create a vacuum within the housing, that provides a lock. This lock is experienced when one tries to put grease into the housing, as the grease gun connector locks onto the grease zerk fitting and cannot be removed. The grooves not only provide a channel for the grease to reach the ball, but they also create vents that allow the grease to enter the ball joint housing and air to escape.
The instant invention eliminates or reduces the above-mentioned problems with ball joints and provides a premium performance ball joint wherein the ball and shaft is easily installed, removable, and easily replaced without having to replace the entire ball joint, and, furthermore, the ball joint system provides premium performance in the operation of automobiles.